Palasmodium

Plasmodium prevention

-Travelers to endemic area should avoid mosquito biting by covering hands and use mosquito repellents. -Vaccination; Anti-sporozoite vaccine, Vaccines against the asexual forms and anti-gametocyte vaccines. -Antimalaria prophylactic must be taken two weeks before arrival and 6 weeks after departure, such as chloroquine and mefloquine

Plasmodium treatment

1-Chloroquine 2-Primaquine 3-For resistant strains of P. falciparum # Act consists of a combination of artemisinin derivative (Artemisinin or artemether or arte-ether and a long acting antimalarial drugs like sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine, mefloquine or lumefantrine #Mefloquine or combination of quinine and fansidar (sulphadoxine, pyrimethamine ordoxycycline)

Plasmodium Clinical features

Febrile paroxysm; The most frequent symptoms include fever (41C) and chills, which can be accompanied by headache, myalgias, arthralgias, weakness, and sweating #Other clinical features include splenomegaly, and anemia. #P. falciparum can progress to severe forms with central nervous system (cerebral malaria), acute renal failure, blackwater fever, severe anemia, or respiratory distress syndrome.

Plasmodium Diagnostic findings

Microscopic identification is the method most frequently used to demonstrate an active infection. Using fresh capillary blood sample (delay can result in changes in parasite morphology) # Detecting parasites in the thick smear # The laboratorian can examine the thin smear to determine the malaria species and the parasitemia, or the percentage of the patient's red blood cells that are infected with malaria parasites. Molecular diagnosis : by PCR can detect parasites in specimens where the parasitemia may be below the detectable level of blood film examination. Serology : detects antibodies against malaria parasites, using either indirect immunofluorescence (IFA) or (ELISA) or Rapid diagnostic test kits.

Plasmodium Transmission

Occurs when the sporozoites are injected by an infected female Anopheles mosquito when it takes a blood meal

Plasmodium organism

There are 125 sp of plasmodium cause human malaria: Plasmodium falciparum, P. vivax, P. malaria, and P. ovale. The most serious one is P. falciparum which is responsible for all serious complications, drug resistance and deaths

Plasmodium disease

They cause malaria

Plasmodium life cycle

the host of plasmodium is the female Anopheles mosquito There are two life cycles asexual occurs in the human and sexual occurs in the mosquito. -Rarely by Blood transfusion -Transplacental transmission #In human -Human is infected by the bite of infected female Anopheles mosquitoes that introduce infectious plasmodium (sporozoites, infective stage) into bloodstream. -Plasmodium species is transmitted by blood transfusion or through placenta, merozoites act as infective form. -Circulating sporozoites rapidly invade liver cells, where they transform, multiply, and develop into tissue schizonts. This initial replication in the liver is called the pre or exoerythrocytic cycle. -The schizonts rupture and release merozoites that inter the circulation, invade erythrocytes and asexual reproduction in erythrocytes and produce trophozoites which are released and infect other erythrocytes. -Repeated cycles of infection can lead to the infection of many erythrocytes and serious disease. -Some trophozoites are differentiated into male and female gametocytes. #Anopheles mosquito -During a blood meal, an anopheles mosquito ingests the male (microgametocytes) and female (macrogametocytes), gametocytes beginning the sporogonic cycle. -In the mosquito's stomach, the microgametes penetrate the macrogametes, producing zygotes. -The zygotes become motile and elongated, developing into ookinetes. -The ookinetes invade the midgut wall of the mosquito where they develop into oocysts. -The oocysts grow, rupture, and release sporozoites, which travel to the mosquito's salivary glands. #In P. falciparum and P. malaria infection, only one cycle of liver cell then liver infection decreases within 4 weeks. Thus, treatment that eliminates erythrocytic parasites will cure this infection. #In P. vivax and P. oval infections, a dormant hepatic stage, so treatment that eliminates erythrocytic and hepatic parasite is required to cure these infections.